| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the imperfect verb esan {ἦσαν | ē-san} ‘they were,’ paired with the present participle engizontes {ἐγγίζοντες | en-gí-zon-tes} ‘drawing near’ to indicate continuous past action. The postpositive conjunction de {δὲ | dè} ‘but’ is rendered “Now” formally to link this situation with the narrative flow. The dative pronoun autō {αὐτῷ | au-tō} ‘to Him’ specifies Jesus as the object of approach. The participle engizontes, modified by the adjective pantes {πάντες | pán-tes} ‘all,’ takes its constituents from the appositional phrase hoi telonai kai hoi hamartoloi {οἱ τελῶναι καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ | hoî te-lō-nai kaì hoî ha-mar-tō-loi}, which distinctly names tax collectors and sinners. The infinitive akouein {ἀκούειν | a-kou-ein} ‘to hear’ with the genitive autou {αὐτοῦ | au-tou} expresses purpose (‘in order to hear Him’), clarifying why they drew near. The translation preserves the periphrastic aspect through “were coming near/moving close” and renders the purpose infinitive explicitly to reflect the Greek intention. |